The Federal Government has unveiled new plans to address Nigeria’s housing deficit through cooperative societies, digital finance systems, and expanded public-private partnerships under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister for Cooperative Affairs, Aliyu Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
He said the programme is designed to reposition cooperative societies as key drivers of affordable housing delivery, financial inclusion, and community development.
According to him, cooperatives remain a critical tool for economic empowerment and shared prosperity, particularly in the housing sector.
“Cooperatives remain one of the most powerful vehicles for economic inclusion, community mobilisation, self-help development, social solidarity, and shared prosperity,” he said.
He explained that cooperative housing systems allow citizens to pool resources, reduce costs, and access financing collectively, thereby improving access to home ownership.
Abdullahi added that cooperative housing has proven effective globally in reducing homelessness, strengthening communities, and improving social welfare outcomes.
He noted that the Federal Government is also planning to establish a Cooperative Bank of Nigeria to support housing finance, infrastructure development, and community-based projects.
The proposed bank, he said, will operate under a cooperative ownership structure and focus on underserved groups, especially informal sector workers.
He stressed that digital transformation would be central to the success of the initiative.
“Africa’s cooperative housing ecosystem cannot operate effectively in the modern era without robust digital infrastructure,” he said.
According to him, the government will digitise cooperative operations nationwide to improve transparency, financial management, credit access, and investor confidence.
He added that digital finance platforms would simplify mortgage repayments, project monitoring, and member verification systems.
The initiative, he said, will prioritise women, youth, persons with disabilities, rural communities, farmers, informal workers, and low-income earners.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, also described cooperative housing as one of the most practical solutions to Africa’s housing challenges.
He said technology-driven finance systems would help improve mortgage administration and expand housing access across both formal and informal sectors.
Speaking through the statement, the Founder of Nigeria Integrated Social Housing Cooperative Ltd., Saheed Adelakun, criticised the traditional Public-Private Partnership model and called for a Public-Private-People Partnership approach.
He said direct involvement of intended homeowners is key to achieving affordability in housing delivery.
“We need houses that low and middle-income earners can truly afford. Government, developers, cooperatives, and homebuyers must work together,” he said.
The President of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Hannatu Mershak, revealed that the federation currently oversees more than 50,000 cooperatives with over 30 million members nationwide.
She called for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions, and private investors to address Nigeria’s growing housing shortage.
